Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-06-24
The HIGH SCHOOL SERIES.

\ %aS ~ b1O GGJODQ r. VI IuSI
series OF essays delivered by the gradu-
ates OF the Yankton high school at the
recent commencement exercises. Miss
Ruth p. Swift is the author:
woMAN's SPHERE.
y g of the most prominent questions
OF tho day is that of equal suffrage for
men and women. When it was first
agitated many theories were advanced
as to its workings and many objections
were raised.
One of the most prominent of these
objections made was that when woman
takes q hand In the government she steps
entirely out OF here sphere.
The question mutually arises "what is
is woman's sphere p Is it q glass globe,
wherein a woman, like a bouquet of wax
flowers, stands showing off her charms to
their best advantage in order to please
the creature Tor whose comfort and en-
Joyment, they cay she was especially
created, thinking peichance, OIL happy
tate, that some one OF those whom she
has tried 80 hard to please may crown
her efforts with success and call her the
~fairest OF eli the flowers?
LIS womanss sphere a acuum,
where she hears nothing,
knows nothing, except what her master
communicates to her? and where those
who are 80 unfortunate us to be without
masters hear anything at all? Ii
would certainly seem so, for it is gener-
ally assumed that 1T a woman were
allowed to vote she would always vote
the same as her husband.
But the theorisL understanding human
nature, we'll knows that such a picture
OF the life of woman would not be favor
ably received. therefore paints it IN
more attractive coiors, Jikenlng the hrs-
band to an oak tree, firm and hardy,
lighting iife's battle for his weaker COM
panion as well as for himself, shielding
her from the rough experiences OF the
world and guiding her feeble footsteps
with q steady hand, while she is expect
| ed lovingly to cling as q tender vine to
an oak, no matter which way it grows,
repaying, in a measure. for his care, by
trusting him fully in all things, cheer:
ing him in times of trouble, and going
with him and watching oyer him as a
guardian angel. And thus each strength
ems the other.
Bot after ell this is only o theory, and
theory and practice are often quite diff
ferent. There is such a thing US a scrub
oak, gnarled and crooked and broken by
the wind storm, eaten and ready to,
topple over il the next gale, But even
though all the oaks were straight and
there were no such things as scrub oaks.
what about the vines that have no oaks
to cling TOT Are these to trail in the
dust and wither away? Not all of them,
surely no Rosa Bonheur, Florence
Nightingale and Harriet HosDaer, not
Marian mitchell and Frances Willard.
Practically this theory means that man
being much stronger. physically and
mentally, than woman, was designed to
shape the channel wherein flows the tide
of human events; and to do this by.
having sole power 81 government, while
1T is woman's work to follow
on in blind obedience as o sort OF
auxiliary to help him carry out his plans
in whsterer way he may choose to die
tate. Has not George Eliot shown by
the choosing Of her vocation thst she
was able 50 plan out her own life work
very we'll?
has b not in her writings placed be-
fore MS existing wrongs in euch a man
ner as to make ug shed tears and clinoh
our fists ~involuntarilS? Has she not ex-
pressed Tor us and stirred the world with
thoughts which we would fain have
made known had we sufficient power OF
Language?
Who seeks to dictate to such q
her place IN lief
Who seeks to question the sphere of
Maria Mitchell, the world famed astsopo-
mer who s'makes the observations used
by the United States governments in the
coast survey and in the compilation of.
the nautical almanac 1t authorizes ~
Has she not shown her sphere to be as
boundless as the heavens above herr
Or what shall be said OF the energetic
young American woman, who starts out
in life on her own u and wins for
herself independence? Is she not en-.
titled to much more credit than o man
under the am circumstances !?
Notice her disadvantages There are
not as many occupations open To her as
to men and therefore competition with
her is greater and consequently wages
smaller.
And then in q great many cases she
gets less pay than men for the same
amount OF labor. So to reach the same
position as q man she needs much
greater strength, patience and perserver-
ance.
An illustration Of one of these ambi-
sASAo youuS Wolu6n Is given III u Oh
our " Dakota girls. who dnring six
months edited q newspaper, proved up
on o pre-emption, planted five acres OF
trees, built O saw mill and raised the
largest turnips and squashes in Hyde
county.
Does it seem very much out OF the
sphere of such persons as these TO take
an interest in the government?
Ability to carry on o government de-
Ponds. not 80 much on sex, as on
strength OF character.
Let US be thankful that man and
women may each stand erect and eoiial
in. the image of their Maker, for God
created man in his own-image, male and
female created he shem.n
There is another theory qnite as pop
ular, which teaches that woman is an
angel aud should soar high above the
wickedness of the world, too pure 10 be
polluted by vile politics. This theory is
theughtia very pretty n by some poor
delnded creatures, who do not realize
that no special benefit is to be derived
from being called an angel ii. not treated
as one.
Man and woman were made as COM
p~anions and wherever n goes the ethe,
must BIO also.
1t was never intended that they should
loccnpy different spheres, one sinking
low into all ann of tsickery and vice,
while the other occupies regions oil
purity and goodness.
Woman as well as man was put into
the world to make it better How can
she do this If she is to be kept IN jgnor-
Sraa nf fha oxt1u .xehSat, 49, 81 4 Lii